Katy Wheeler

Coffee fans have a new place to indulge their caffeine habit at the home of St Bede.

Hive Coffee Company will open in Jarrow Hall this weekend after the Grade II-listed building has been closed to the public for more than a year ago.

It will reopen with a fresh new look and a fresh new business, the brainchild of business partners Sarah Daglish and Eve McPadden, who are opening their coffee venture in the ground floor of the recently-restored historic building.

Two years in the making, Hive Coffee Company, in the grounds of the former Jarrow Monastery, came about through the school friends’ mutual love of good coffee and food.

They’ve brewed up a business model with a strong local focus, with coffee from Tynemouth Coffee company and some ingredients for their home-cooked dishes sourced from the herb garden in the grounds of the site.

The pair have rented the space from charity Groundwork who rescued the attraction, formerly known as Bede’s World, from the ashes and are reopening it as Jarrow Hall Anglo-Saxon, Village and Bede Museum, the museum element of which will open from April 8.

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.

Sarah and Eve, both 25 and from Jarrow, used to visit the site in its previous guise as a tearooms to the museum, but were determined to put their own stamp on the site which was built in the late 18th century by local businessman Simon Temple.

Sarah said: “We worked closely with Groundwork during the renovation and went to them with our ideas for the look of the place. We wanted it to look completely different to how it looked before, a lot lighter and brighter, whilst still being in keeping with the Georgian history of the building. In fact, the colours are all from a colour palette of that era.”

The pair have been supported in their venture by the Prince’s Trust and say they each bring something different to the business.

Eve said: “We both went to Jarrow School and then went on to Northumbria University where we studied different degrees. Sarah studied fine art while I did international business management, so we both bring our areas of expertise to the business.

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.

“We had the idea two years ago but were looking for ages for the right premises. We were so lucky to find something like this, it’s an amazing space. We never expected to have such a beautiful building for our first venture.”

Hive Coffee Company will be open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week, serving coffee and dishes such as sandwiches, quiches, salads and flatbreads.

There will also be vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free foods available.

The busy bees will also be serving dishes inspired by their business name, including a bee pollen latte flavoured with honey, and a honeycomb latte.

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.
Part owner Sarah Daglish

Hive Coffee Company at Jarrow Hall.
Owner's from left Sarah Daglish and Eve McPadden